 |
| “I have a few qualms with this app:” (comment) | ||
| recommended by 325 users | 2007 | BrandonM on: My YC app: Dropbox - Throw away your USB drive | aged poorly | hacker news | original thread | | ||
| BrandonM on Apr 5, 2007 | on: My YC app: Dropbox - Throw away your USB drive | view on HN | ||
| 325 users recommended this comment. The most enthusiastic 40: |
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dhouston Mar 23, 2018 | on: Congrats Dropbox | context | aged poorly
Thank you Paul and Jessica for taking a chance on us — we wouldn’t be here without you and YC :) And thank you HN — I’m pretty sure the upvotes on the original screencast helped us get into YC and on Paul & Jessica’s radar to begin with! Even you BrandonM — https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 — my favorite HN comment thread of all time :) |
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kevinyun Jul 19, 2019 | on: Rent the Backyard (YC S19) wants to build a studio… | context | aged poorly
Reminds me of this legendary comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 Although I appreciate some of the argumentative counterpoints, most of the time it's from people who underestimate how lazy human beings are, and that people are willing to pay for simple services |
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scarface74 Nov 29, 2019 | on: How Is NordVPN Unblocking Disney+? | context | aged poorly
This reminds me of the infamous comment when DropBox was introduced and why geeks don’t get it. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software. |
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1f60c Sep 16, 2020 | on: When you browse Instagram and find Tony Abbott's passport… | context | aged poorly
That reminds me of this legendary comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 |
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llimos Nov 4, 2020 | on: Vimflowy | context | aged poorly
This comment strongly reminds me of the now-legendary Dropbox one[1] For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software. |
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thecal Feb 13, 2024 | on: Nvidia's Chat with RTX is an AI chatbot that runs locally… | context | aged poorly
It is probably the most famous HN comment ever made and comes up often. It is a dismissive response to Dropbox years ago: |
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zymhan May 26, 2026 | on: Dropbox CEO Drew Houston to step down | context | aged poorly
Surely you're not referring to this prediction that was so bad, it's now a meme: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 |
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brlewis Mar 24, 2010 | on: Y Combinator presents 26 new startups | context | aged poorly
People forget that reddit was widely viewed as a trivial digg clone in its early days. Dropbox also seemed trivial to some early on: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 |
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aspir Jan 30, 2012 | on: Ask HN: What successful startups started as "Show HN"? | context | aged poorly
This is the best part of that whole link: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 A good lesson that though someone could build it, most can't and if they could they'd rather not. |
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unholiness Oct 28, 2013 | on: Don't write code first | context | aged poorly
People don't always know what they want. People have trouble seeing which of their needs can be feasibly addressed. People are bad at imagining how new ideas integrate with their established way of doing things. If, 10 years ago, you'd asked every current smartphone user whether they needed a multi-hundred dollar phone that does mostly the same things as their laptop, the vast majority would say no. Hackers don't always know what people want. Hackers, having hammers, will only see the bits of problems that look most like a nail. Hackers, having hammers, will forget that other people don't like to deal with hammers. Hackers, having hammers, say things like: "For a Linux user, you can already build [Dropbox] yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem." (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224) The real lesson is to integrate users in every part of development. Targeting a specific user group? Talk with them, try out products they use, and try to grok their needs, values, and relationship with technology. Trying an innovative interface? Throw together a minimal, flexible mockup (just enough to facilitate a conversation), and find out how people react. Whether you should start with users depends highly on the product, but get users involved throughout the design process when user input is needed. |
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eps Oct 30, 2013 | on: Show HN: Sesame, the wireless Mac lock | context | aged poorly
To quote form an earlier thread - you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software |
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quarterto Dec 3, 2013 | on: Dockbox.io - Host websites in Dropbox using your domain | context | aged poorly
For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an VPS account, syncing the files using dropbox-cli, and then using nginx on the synced folder. (inb4 downvotes: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224) |
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shawabawa3 Feb 24, 2014 | on: Blackphone | context | aged poorly
Reminds of this classic comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 Guy complaining that dropbox is useless because "For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem." |
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sankethkatta Mar 3, 2014 | on: Smartcar – Nest for your Tesla | context | aged poorly
This reminds me of a comment I saw on Drew Houston's ShowHN of Dropbox a few years back: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224. The hobbyist coders will always be able to build some hacky solution on their own. The difference here is its building a convenient product everyone can use, not just selling some curl commands. |
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prezjordan Mar 13, 2014 | on: Save more with Google Drive | context | aged poorly
Reminds me of the infamous "Show HN: Dropbox" post. One of the top comments: > For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software. |
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rakoo Sep 8, 2014 | on: Shout – A web IRC client | context | aged poorly
As always, the problem is not technical, it's packaging. Technically IRC can do all that Hipchat does, but Hipchat provides a simple bundle that any team can subscribe to/buy and use for all its use cases. To replicate the same thing with IRC, you'd need bouncers for everyone with full text search capability, a shared history of everything that happened on the server(s) of the network, support for filesharing for all clients, not just the desktop ones, you'd need some serious management of presence and profile information... Never forget the "Show HN: Dropbox" and its immediate technical rebuttal [0], see where it is now. Oh and Hipchat seems to do screen sharing, which AFAIK is not possible with IRC. |
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jbinto Oct 12, 2014 | on: “We will sell you this microwave under the following… | context | aged poorly
This reminds me of the infamous HN response to Dropbox's launch 5 years ago: > you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem |
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aswanson Jan 8, 2015 | on: Why Instagram Worked | context | aged poorly
This post reminds of this response to Dropbox launching here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 |
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yla92 Apr 25, 2015 | on: YouTube is not a real business (2006) | context | aged poorly
I remember people said[1] we could do the same as Dropbox by "getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs .." when the drew houston posted on HN. Not that we couldn't, just that not every user is capable to. So, look at where Dropbox is now. |
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lmm Nov 2, 2015 | on: Five Open-Source Slack Alternatives | context | aged poorly
Slack has never been about the underlying tech (which may well be IRC), it's all about the polish. A lot of comments I see here about Slack remind me of the infamous "you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem" ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 ). |
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gabrielizaias Jan 4, 2017 | on: Renewing Medium’s focus | context | aged poorly
Woosh! He's making a satire comment about when Dropbox was first introduced to HN. |
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jasode Oct 9, 2017 | on: Designers Using Ikea Products as Platform | context | aged poorly
> "why don't people just setup an NFS/Samba drive"? I believe that's referencing this (in)famous comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 |
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iopuy Oct 31, 2017 | on: Reaching $10k monthly revenue with WakaTime, my SaaS side… | context | aged poorly
Oh Ycombinator, such a bastion of encouragement you can be. Check out the top comment dropbox received when it debut on Ycombinator. |
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joshuamorton Mar 9, 2018 | on: Prove you are not an evil corporate person | context | aged poorly
>convenience is not a benefit Where's that quote about Dropbox just being a fancy FTP account backed by VCS? This one[1] I mean. Convenience is perhaps the most important benefit of software. Not any particular piece of software, but all of it, the industry is one that at its core provides convenience. Search and indexing is convenience. Document editing is convenience. Computers are tools that make things that used to be a pain more convenient. Math and finance, music, visual art, software makes working in those fields more convenient. If not convenience, what does software provide? (Am googler) |
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tombrossman Mar 24, 2018 | on: Sex Workers Say Porn on Google Drive Is Suddenly… | context | aged poorly
This is like the infamous Dropbox comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 Presumably it would be marketed to 'Adult' performers, some of who will be technically minded and understand how to use SSH, but Nextcloud will have wider appeal and includes an easy to navigate GUI. Personally, I'm using both but I don't expect everyone to do the same. |
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thisisandyok Apr 6, 2018 | on: I wandered off and built an IDE | context | aged poorly
Infamous Dropbox comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 |
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lalos Jun 25, 2018 | on: Why developers need to be able to identify technologies… | context | aged poorly
The post you referenced reminded me of this HN comment regarding Dropbox right when it launched: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 It might be simple for an adept developer but not all companies can find/hire that kind of talent. You need abstractions that simplify dev ops in a way. Yes, docker does not solve everything and should only be used when you can leverage some of its pros. |
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cercatrova Aug 23, 2018 | on: Startups that launched at Y Combinator’s S18 Demo Day 2 | context | aged poorly
That's exactly what some people did say, at least about Dropbox (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224) |
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d3sandoval Oct 10, 2018 | on: Netlify raises $30M to replace webservers with Application… | context | aged poorly
/woosh I think the commenter is referring to this infamous thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 |
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acdha Oct 10, 2018 | on: Dropbox traffic infrastructure: Edge network | context | aged poorly
Oh, right, I'd forgotten about https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 It's definitely comical in retrospect for not even understanding the state of the technology at the time. |
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thepumpkin1979 Oct 11, 2018 | on: Zolang – A programming language for sharing code between… | context | aged poorly
OP, this is the comment you should be paying attention to. The (now downvoted to oblivion) counterpart to this comment sounds a lot like the top comment on Dropbox “Show HN” of it’s time: a totally engineered reasoning with zero core product value thinking [0]. Instead you should go deep, as in digging a hole or “Well”[1]. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 [1] http://paulgraham.com/startupideas.html (special emphasis on the the “Well” section) |
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lewisflude Oct 17, 2018 | on: Ask HN: Favorite HN quotes? | context | aged poorly
From 2007 on Dropbox "I have a few qualms with this app: 1. For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software. 2. It doesn't actually replace a USB drive. Most people I know e-mail files to themselves or host them somewhere online to be able to perform presentations, but they still carry a USB drive in case there are connectivity problems. This does not solve the connectivity issue. 3. It does not seem very "viral" or income-generating. I know this is premature at this point, but without charging users for the service, is it reasonable to expect to make money off of this?" |
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toyg Oct 18, 2018 | on: OpenBSD 6.4 released | context | aged poorly
> With OpenBSD specifically, you can get 90% of the way there with chroots, standard process isolation, and a bit of shell scripting This is a classic case of "THAT HackerNews response to Dropbox" [1]. If it's that easy, why isn't there a prepackaged wrapper with simple switches, rather than leaving developers to fight for themselves among piles of custom hacks? The problem is not just deployment, the Docker differentiation is simplification of the development pipeline. OpenBSD should seriously look at their story in that area, because it's one of the few where they could still potentially compete (because Docker is still fundamentally a pile of hacks, and pretty insecure too). Unless, of course, everyone is happy to remain "the little project that could" and crack jokes like the BCHS stack. |
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badgers Nov 14, 2018 | on: Check Out PC Classic, a $99 Adorable Tiny DOS Games Console | context | aged poorly
I agree; it reminds me of the Dropbox comment from 2007 [1]: > I have a few qualms with this app: > 1. For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software. |
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yen223 Nov 19, 2018 | on: Show HN: Don't code your UI, draw it | context | aged poorly
Half the comments here bring to mind the infamous Dropbox comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 Reinforces my personal rule-of-thumb that any comment HN has about UX can be safely ignored. |
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sorenjan Dec 9, 2018 | on: Crypto Market Crash Leaving Bankrupt Startups in Its Wake | context | aged poorly
Hacker News' own "No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame." moment was when Dropbox was introduced: > For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software. |
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freehunter Jan 14, 2019 | on: Rise and Demise of RSS | context | aged poorly
People on HN would do well to print off the comment thread here about Dropbox [1] and how it could be replicated "quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem" and hang it on their wall where it's easy to look at. 10 years later they're top 100 on Alexa, publicly traded on Nasdaq, with a market cap of nearly $9b with revenue of $360m with over 12m paying users. What's "quite trivial" to the HN audience is pure magic to everyone else. |
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lincolnq Mar 1, 2019 | on: Teardown: Casper’s Clever Little Nightlight | context | aged poorly
I think something that characterizes a lot of stereotypical hacker news comments is reductionism of a product to its feature list. A classic one is on the Dropbox 2007 launch post (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224). In retrospect, some product ideas are dumb. Others are good. But because we see this kind of comment so often (really not trying to pick on you!), I wanted to point out that it might be a good habit for lots of people to notice if they are trying to describe a product by its list of features, and maybe think if that is the best way to achieve their goals. Again, not trying to pick on you in particular, I think that habit is incredibly common for tech people in particular. And there's a lot positive to be said about that style of interaction. |
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Gatsky Mar 8, 2019 | on: YC's latest moonshot bet is a startup building a $380K… | context | aged poorly
Look that's all fine but you must surely realise where you are posting this, and that in the future your comment can only be either irrelevant or held up as an example of people making predictions that turn out to be wrong. |
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jve Mar 12, 2019 | on: Nginx to Be Acquired by F5 Networks | context | aged poorly
These comments so much remind me of the infamous Dropbox comment when they launched: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 Well, looks like you just have to assemble known parts in specific order to make something users like. |
deanmoriarty (2019): “the one that was criticizing Dropbox for not being particularly unique”
folli (2019): “infamous comment about Dropbox”
underwater (2019): “infamous comment on Dropbox's announcement”
olalonde (2019): “a perfect example of a comment that undervalues simplicity and ease of use”
fragmede (2019): “the infamous dropbox comment”
reificator (2019): “you can just chain together ftp, curlftpfs, and svn to make Dropbox”
Strom (2019): “that famous HN comment”
thiscatis (2019): “Interesting to see that it's not made quite trivially by getting an FTP account”
ChuckNorris89 (2019): “infamous HN comment on why dropbox is useless”
buryat (2019): “infamous dropbox comment”
woodrowbarlow (2019): “infamous top comment”
panarky (2019): “Exhibit A is the infamous Dropbox comment”
toomuchtodo (2019): “Dropbox is just ftp + git”
simonh (2019): “The most famous example was this response to the launch of Dropbox”
Buetol (2019): “let's learn from our history”
leesec (2019): “someone belittling Dropbox before it went on to be worth billions”
vertoc (2019): “this does remind me of the dropbox comment”
bradjohnson (2019): “I'm reminded of this comment”
csallen (2019): “the famous HN Dropbox comment”
skocznymroczny (2019): “people still refer to this reply on Dropbox announcement”
aarreedd (2019): “infamous Dropbox comment”
viraptor (2020): “the comment from a guy who thought Dropbox could be easily replaced with a few Unix tools”
airstrike (2020): “reminded me of this classic”
maest (2020): “in the same way Dropbox is FTP + SVN”
rvz (2020): “HNers at the time failed to see why Dropbox succeeded”
FiatLuxDave (2020): “the infamous comment here”
F_J_H (2020): “Infamous Dropbox Comment”
sokoloff (2020): “close analog to the old Dropbox "analysis"”
RandomBacon (2020): “This reminds me of the infamous Dropbox comment”
vel0city (2020): “you could build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account”
ceocoder (2020): “that comment about Dropbox from years ago”
nindalf (2020): “reminds me of the classic HN comment”
karolist (2020): “(in)famous dropbox comment”
coldtea (2020): “Infamous Dropbox comment”
losvedir (2020): “was a fun early Dropbox”
dgellow (2020): “Obligatory link to Dropbox’s Show HN comment”
Arubis (2020): “It sounds like you have a few qualms with this sensor.”
howon92 (2020): “argued Dropbox wasn't useful and was going to fail”
Sohcahtoa82 (2020): “the famous Dropbox comment”
Conlectus (2020): “I think I'm having flashbacks :P”
bigiain (2020): “you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially”
judge2020 (2020): “Reminds me of the infamous Dropbox comment”
jack_riminton (2020): “ole classic dropbox comment”
tomaskafka (2020): “the famous Dropbox comment”
kyawzazaw (2020): “the Infamous Dropbox Comment”
rattlesnakedave (2020): “will be remembered similarly to their comments on dropbox”
mparramon (2021): “This comment gives me”
ipnon (2021): “It's been downhill for 14 years”
jxf (2021): “Why would anyone pay for a taskbar widget that's just rsync?”
reducesuffering (2021): “HN's most famous comment about Dropbox”
LittlePeter (2021): “infamous dropbox comment”
biggc (2021): “up there with the classic Dropbox comment”
gravypod (2021): “This reminds me of this post about Dropbox”
pgwhalen (2021): “well before Dropbox was a household name”
MsMowz (2021): “had the top comment that doubted its viability/usefulness as a product”
louissm_it (2021): “you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially”
hangsi (2021): “HN-famous example”
xd1936 (2021): “This comment has big”
athrowaway3z (2021): “laugh and look back at snarky comments such as this”
fossuser (2021): “you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially”
ratww (2021): “famous HN Dropbox dismissal”
daxaxelrod (2021): “classic HN counter argument to Dropbox”
endymi0n (2021): “cue famous comment”
apostacy (2021): “now infamous comment”
methyl (2021): “famous Dropbox comment”
solarkraft (2021): “the famous Dropbox comment”
orf (2021): “you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially”
dctoedt (2021): “Obligatory link to the famous comment about Dropbox's launch”
alangibson (2021): “Obligatory response to "you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially" comments”
krapp (2021): “Your stupid project:”
davemp (2021): “famous dropbox dismissal”
rPlayer6554 (2021): “the famous Dropbox comment”
Naac (2021): “the infamous Dropbox comment”
dEnigma (2021): “famous Dropbox dismissal by BrandonM”
spookyuser (2021): “Hacker news hasn't changed a bit lol”
npunt (2021): “the response to Dropbox”
brigandish (2021): “This is the (in)famous comment”
toomanybeersies (2021): “Don't forget *that* comment about Dropbox”
ceejayoz (2021): “See also HN's reaction to Dropbox”
tracyhenry (2021): “going to be the Dropbox comment”
piva00 (2021): “another Dropbox moment”
deanCommie (2021): “You're incredibly wrong, but in a very classic way”
paradite (2021): “This gives me the initial dropbox dismissal comment (you can do it trivially with ftp) vibe...”
vertis (2022): “you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially”
hwers (2022): “infamous one on the original dropbox HN post”
malfist (2022): “modified from this infamous comment”
axiosgunnar (2022): “infamous HN Dropbox comment”
birracerveza (2022): “Dropbox is never going to be popular.”
solatic (2022): “infamous Dropbox comment”
pseudalopex (2022): “You can write your own Dropbox clone with curlftpfs too!”
LudwigNagasena (2022): “contrary to what HN users were commenting on that thread when Dropbox was announced”
sbarre (2022): “Why would anyone use Dropbox??”
Sebb767 (2022): “famous Dropbox comment”
latte2021 (2022): “Infamous Dropbox comment”
pizza (2022): “Have you ever read this HN comment from 2007 before?”
aresant (2022): ““this tech could be easily replicated””
Operyl (2022): “This comment trivializing Dropbox”
dropnerd (2022): “we produce gems such as this highly upvoted alternative to Dropbox”
groby_b (2022): “I'm very much reminded of the infamous dropbox comment”
unsupp0rted (2022): “the infamous 'mounting it locally with curlftpfs”
lucianf (2022): “Obligatory reference to”
civilized (2022): “Reminds me of that famous HN Dropbox comment.”
shepherdjerred (2022): “famous Dropbox comment”
sdfhbdf (2022): “the comment on the Dropbox Launch post on HN in 2007”
curiousgal (2022): “infamous Dropbox HN comment”
djbusby (2022): “Never would have happened if you just used FTP like Brandon said”
benibela (2022): “This old nerdass solution?”
staunch (2022): “This is dangerously close to the infamous HN Dropbox critique”
LambdaComplex (2022): “infamous Dropbox HN comment”
lkschubert8 (2022): “It's commonly referenced when folks on hackernews dismiss a product when they can do the same with 10 unix commands”
Mrdarknezz (2022): “same energy as this comment that dropbox could just be replaced by an FTP”
plibither8 (2022): “remind me of the comment on Dropbox's initial Hacker News post”
elcomet (2022): “You're replying to a parody comment”
ainar-g (2022): “(in?)famous Dropbox comment”
deathanatos (2023): “Boy does this remind me of”
a4isms (2023): “HN's version of "No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame."”
phphphphp (2023): “You’re about to get Dropbox’d”
warning26 (2023): “my all time favorite; this comment about Dropbox from 2007”
spacemadness (2023): “the amazing predictive capabilities of HN”
afavour (2023): “you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially”
samtho (2023): “the most famous example among HN readers”
no_wizard (2023): “now somewhat infamous Dropbox comment”
mchaver (2023): “the famous dropbox comment”
wasimanitoba (2023): “dropbox will never be successful because it's "trivial"”
rossng (2023): “Infamous Dropbox context”
notavalleyman (2023): “you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially”
pkos98 (2023): “this famous comment”
gjsman-1000 (2023): “now-infamous Hacker News diss when Dropbox was invented”
FirmwareBurner (2023): “Infamous Dropbox comment”
woliveirajr (2023): “this ancient comment on HackerNews”
lagniappe (2023): “One of my favorite comments on HN”
SushiHippie (2023): “Remember the dropbox announcement in 2007?”
SamuelAdams (2023): “This reminds me of the dismissive Dropbox comment”
dreadlordbone (2023): “Reminds me of the Dropbox quote”
lpapez (2023): “infamous Dropbox comment”
fsdalkj (2023): “the infamous dropbox comment”
j4yav (2023): “a classic example”
latexr (2023): “That exchange is a prime example of what we should all strive to do”
prophesi (2024): “a parody of the infamous”
maliker (2024): “classic hacker news feedback just like the "dropbox won't work" one”
pierat (2024): “We all know how that worked out.”
dsco (2024): “infamous DropBox comment”
jjice (2024): “the classic Dropbox comment”
waldrews (2024): “as the next "why would you need dropbox" comment”
m0n01d (2024): “People said the same thing about Dropbox”
lolinder (2024): “For any of today's lucky 10k:”
theideaofcoffee (2024): “infamous response to Dropbox back in the day”
jstummbillig (2024): “A part of HN history”
HPsquared (2024): “The famous HN comment on Dropbox.”
mv4 (2024): “the infamous comment below”
leohonexus (2024): “Similar to the original Dropbox post”
fallingsquirrel (2024): “It's a reference to the infamous dropbox comment”
echoangle (2024): “the Dropbox comment here on HN”
matsur (2024): “BrandonM's famous comment on Dropbox”
Dalewyn (2024): “Greatest Hacker News Comment Of All Time(tm)”
obviyus (2024): “classic HN Dropbox comment”
yunohn (2024): “This feels like a worse version of:”
kkielhofner (2024): “famous moment in HN history”
015a (2024): “in homage to the O.G.”
teleforce (2024): “very similar to the famous one on Dropbox”
davedx (2024): “Classic HN comment, almost a carbon copy of the Dropbox one”
myhau (2024): “The Infamous Dropbox Comment”
brightball (2025): “This sums up the original HN post where several people made fun of Dropbox.”
scarface_74 (2025): “(in)famous comment when Dropbox was introduced on HN back in 2007”
iamthemalto (2025): “infamous dropbox comment”
btown (2025): “Infamous Dropbox Comment”
bko (2025): “the infamous hn comment when Dropbox was announced”
keepamovin (2025): “infamous Dropbox comment”
caseyohara (2025): “the famous HN comment when Drew Houston first announced Dropbox”
jonahx (2025): “this is like the famous comment when dropbox was first announced”
Affric (2025): “you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially”
mayoff (2025): “infamous comment about the then-new Dropbox”
JumpCrisscross (2025): “the infamous Dropbox comment”
dataflow (2025): “It remind me of the infamous Dropbox comment”
Nathan2055 (2025): “The infamous Dropbox comment”
isaacfrond (2025): “Please see the dropbox comment”
close04 (2025): “famous HN Dropbox comment”
jdright (2025): “the infamous Dropbox comment”
gk1 (2025): “the infamous Dropbox comment”
klardotsh (2025): “FTP + curlftpfs + a VCS”
pjc50 (2025): “on why Dropbox should not exist”
rhinoceraptor (2025): “It calls back the classic”
sai18 (2025): “Reminds me of this comment on the Dropbox HN launch thread”
markbao (2025): “that aged poorly”
raw_anon_1111 (2025): “you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially”
ec109685 (2025): “Something something dropbox is simple :)”
MontyCarloHall (2025): “HN commenters infamously poopooed Dropbox”
mturmon (2026): “"why Dropbox when you can rsync" mistake”
christiangenco (2026): “I'm reminded of the infamous Dropbox Hacker News comment”
consumer451 (2026): “the most infamous HN comment”
Maakuth (2026): “a classic comment”
soared (2026): “Required Dropbox comment”
tux3 (2026): “You can already build such a system yourself quite trivially”
niel (2026): “this classic comment from 2007”
dbmikus (2026): “Don't have a Dropbox moment ;)”
hn_throwaway_99 (2026): “For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account”
klntsky (2026): “This argument reminds me of the HN Dropbox announcement top comment”
jcelerier (2026): “the famous dropbox post”
morelikeborelax (2026): “I hAvE a FeW qUaLmS wItH tHiS aPp”
aanet (2026): “classic HN comment”
legostormtroopr (2026): “have a few qualms with this app”
mgunlogson (2026): “We even have famous examples from this site”
gnfargbl (2026): “historically, people have been willing to pay for convenience”
mr_mitm (2026): “infamous post”
sunir (2026): “Hacker News is known for amazing commentary like this”
andai (2026): “Classic example”
jasonjayr (2026): “infamous post dismissing DropBox”
dewey (2026): “big Dropbox comment energy”
kmeisthax (2026): “I have a few qualms with this app”
Barbing (2026): “Best comment of 2007”
ben_w (2026): “infamous tech comments on consumer products”
baq (2026): “May I remind you of the Dropbox comment?”
microtonal (2026): “Brilliant :)”
redox99 (2026): “Its basically like the Dropbox comment really”
softwaredoug (2026): “the infamous hacker news comment discounting Dropbox because you can just setup an FTP server”
rgbrgb (2026): “the infamous dropbox comment”
tomwphillips (2026): “Your comment reminds me of this one about Dropbox”
epaga (2013)
skunkworker (2019)
felipap (2019)
berbec (2019)
k00b (2020)
mritchie712 (2020)
eindiran (2020)
brtkdotse (2020)
markneub (2021)
apozem (2021)
MattRix (2021)
kortex (2021)
dash2 (2021)
newsbinator (2022)
foxbarrington (2022)
adtac (2022)
nwienert (2022)
warunsl (2023)
xeromal (2023)
oblio (2023)
throwup238 (2023)
dabber (2024)
hoten (2024)
mcny (2024)
simonebrunozzi (2024)
lukashed (2024)
newswasboring (2024)
Kiboneu (2025)
teekert (2025)
ciaranmca (2026)
wiseowise (2026)
jedberg (2026)
caaqil (2026)
padobson (2018): “This comment is a milder version of this one”
blfr (2019): “HN nitpicks apart everything and then tries to recreate it from first principles”
capableweb (2021): “this is basically a HN copy-pasta at this point”
noodle (2021): “Wouldn't be HN without the "you can build this trivially"”
Bjartr (2022): “looked like it wasn't solving a problem when it was new”
burnoot (2022): “Loaning items sounds like at most a weeks worth of work.”
primax (2023): “Check out when Dropbox launched”
est31 (2023): “Some of the most famous hn comments are precisely of that kind”
Rychard (2025): “"Dropbox" comment of lore”
runako (2025): “Even the infamous Dropbox comment”
sznio (2025): “reminds me very much of this comment”
Curmudgel (2014)
tachyoff (2018)
lpage (2019)
imron (2020)
ffpip (2020)
swyx (2020)
dominotw (2021)
migueloller (2021)
belval (2021)
ushakov (2021)
buzzy_hacker (2022)
maccard (2022)
Xcelerate (2023)
tsegratis (2024)
steelbrain (2024)
nimar (2025)
ipython (2025)
pksebben (2026)
HanClinto (2026)
kristianc (2026)
dvt (2026)
pembrook (2026)
hahahaa (2026)
codethief (2026)
I have a few qualms with this app:
1. For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software.
2. It doesn't actually replace a USB drive. Most people I know e-mail files to themselves or host them somewhere online to be able to perform presentations, but they still carry a USB drive in case there are connectivity problems. This does not solve the connectivity issue.
3. It does not seem very "viral" or income-generating. I know this is premature at this point, but without charging users for the service, is it reasonable to expect to make money off of this?